During a transformational decade full of championship victories, team accolades, individual breakthroughs and momentous developments off the pitch, Sporting Kansas City captain Matt Besler was there every step of the way.
From painting the wall at Children’s Mercy Park to representing the U.S. Men’s National Team, from earning Defender of the Year honors to anchoring the backline in cup finals, Besler played an instrumental role in his hometown club’s success throughout the 2010s.
MLSsoccer.com recognized Besler for his heroic contributions this week, with Greg Seltzer tabbing him Sporting Kansas City’s player of the decade.
With all due respect to the likes of Graham Zusi, Roger Espinoza, Seth Sinovic and several others, it’s hard to argue with Seltzer’s selection.
After all, Besler led MLS defenders during the 2010s with 92 regular season shutouts—a testament to his longevity and consistency—and played every minute in four winning finals: the 2013 MLS Cup and Open Cups in 2012, 2015 and 2017. For good measure, he also landed the 2012 Defender of the Year award and was picked to the MLS Best XI in 2012 and 2013.
In addition to helping Sporting to eight consecutive playoff appearances from 2011-2018, Besler broke into the U.S. Men’s National Team setup and carved out a starting role at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. His 47 caps for the Yanks spanned from 2013-2017, highlighted by the aforementioned World Cup appearance, Concacaf Gold Cup titles in 2013 and 2017 and a trip to Copa America Centenario in 2016.
Besler will begin his 12th professional season in 2020, having joined Sporting in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft out of the University of Notre Dame. He is the team’s all-time leader in games (338), starts (328) and minutes (29,540) across all competitions, adding three goals and 19 assists.
